Binding of FITC-coupled peanut-agglutinin (FITC-PNA) to embryonic chicken retinas reveals developmental spatio-temporal patterns

Retinal Development in a Precocial Bird Species, the Quail (Coturnix coturnix, Linnaeus 1758)

The quail (Coturnix coturnix, Linnaeus 1758), a notable model used in developmental biology, is a precocial bird species in which the processes of retinal cell differentiation and retinal histogenesis have been poorly studied. The purpose of the present research is to examine the retinogenesis in this bird species immunohistochemically and compare the results with those from previous studies in precocial and altricial birds. We found that the first PCNA-negative nuclei are detected at Stage (St) 21 in the vitreal region of the neuroblastic layer, coinciding topographically with the first αTubAc-/Tuj1-/Isl1-immunoreactive differentiating ganglion cells. At St28, the first Prox1-immunoreactive nuclei can be distinguished in the vitreal side of the neuroblastic layer (NbL), but also the first visinin-immunoreactive photoreceptors in the scleral surface. The inner plexiform layer (IPL) emerges at St32, and the outer plexiform layer (OPL) becomes visible at St35—the stage in which the first GS-immunoreactive Müller cells are distinguishable. Newly hatched animals show a well-developed stratified retina in which the PCNA-and pHisH3-immunoreactivies are absent. Therefore, retinal cell differentiation in the quail progresses in the stereotyped order conserved among vertebrates, in which ganglion cells initially appear and are followed by amacrine cells, horizontal cells, and photoreceptors. Müller glia are one of the last cell types to be born. Plexiform layers emerge following a vitreal-to-scleral gradient. Finally, our results suggest that there are no significant differences in the timing of different events involved in retinal maturation between the quail and the chicken, but the same events are delayed in an altricial bird species.

Network analysis of adhesion/growth-regulatory galectins and their binding sites in adult chicken retina and choroid

The highly ordered multilayered organization of the adult chicken retina is a suitable test model for examining zonal distribution of the members of a bioeffector family. Based on the concept of the sugar code, the functional pairing of glycan epitopes with cognate receptors (lectins) is emerging as a means to explain the control of diverse physiological activities. Having recently completed the biochemical characterization of all seven adhesion/growth-regulatory galectins present in chicken, it was possible to establish how the individual characteristics of their expression profiles add up to shape the galectin network, which until now has not been defined at this level of complexity. This information will also have relevance in explaining the region-specific presence of glycan determinants in the retina, as illustrated in the first part of this study using a panel of nine plant/fungal agglutinins. The following systematic monitoring of the galectins yielded patterns for which quantitative and qualitative differences were detected. Obviously, positivity in distinct layers is not confined to a single protein of this family, e.g. CG-1A, CG-3 or CG-8. These results underline the requirement for network analysis for these proteins that can functionally interact in additive or antagonistic modes. Labeling of the tissue galectins facilitated profiling of their accessible binding sites. It also revealed differences among the galectin family members, highlighting the ability of this method to define binding properties on the level of tissue sections. Methodologically, the detection of endogenous lectins intimates that cognate glycans can become inaccessible, a notable caveat for lectin histochemical studies.

Cell Cycle Regulation and Apoptotic Responses of the Embryonic Chick Retina by Ionizing Radiation

Ionizing radiation (IR) exerts deleterious effects on the developing brain, since proliferative neuronal progenitor cells are highly sensitive to IR-induced DNA damage. Assuming a radiation response that is comparable to mammals, the chick embryo would represent a lower vertebrate model system that allows analysis of the mechanisms underlying this sensitivity, thereby contributing to the reduction, refinement and replacement of animal experiments. Thus, this study aimed to elucidate the radiation response of the embryonic chick retina in three selected embryonic stages. Our studies reveal a lack in the radiation-induced activation of a G1/S checkpoint, but rapid abrogation of G2/M progression after IR in retinal progenitors throughout development. Unlike cell cycle control, radiation-induced apoptosis (RIA) showed strong variations between its extent, dose dependency and temporal occurrence. Whereas the general sensitivity towards RIA declined with ongoing differentiation, its dose dependency constantly increased with age. For all embryonic stages RIA occurred during comparable periods after irradiation, but in older animals its maximum shifted towards earlier post-irradiation time points. In summary, our results are in good agreement with data from the developing rodent retina, strengthening the suitability of the chick embryo for the analysis of the radiation response in the developing central nervous system.

Myelin oligodendrocyte-specific protein is expressed in Müller cells of myelinated vertebrate retinas

The retina of nonmammalian vertebrates has a loose myelin that enwraps the large axons of the ganglion cells in all areas, whereas that of mammals lacks myelin, with some exceptions, such as the rabbit retina, which shows compact myelin restricted to the myelinated streak. Electron microscopy studies in chicken retina showed processes of Müller cells (MCs) and oligodendrocytes enwrapping ganglion cell axons. How each of these cells contributes to chicken retina myelination and whether the MC of other myelinated retinas is involved in myelination remain unknown. By immunohistochemistry, with a monoclonal antibody against myelin oligodendrocyte-specific protein (MOSP), we show that MOSP is intensely expressed in the MC and the optic-fiber layer (OFL) in myelinated but not in unmyelinated retinas. By immunocytochemistry with isolated MCs from the chick and rabbit retinas, we show that MOSP is concentrated in the innermost domain of the vitread processes. By immunoblotting, we show that protein extracts from myelinated retinas, but not those from unmyelinated retinas, presented a single band labelled with anti-MOSP of molecular weight similar to that of brain MOSP. In addition, we show that the MC of the embryonic chicken retina starts to express MOSP just before myelination starts. Our results agree with those of electron microscopy studies showing myelin in chick retina formed by MC processes and with those of immunohistochemistry studies in rabbit and human retinas showing expression of other myelin molecules in the MC. Altogether, our results suggest that the MC in myelinated retinas might contribute MOSP to myelin.

Inhibition of integrin-mediated adhesion and signaling disrupts retinal development

Integrins are the major family of cell adhesion receptors that mediate cell adhesion to the extracellular matrix (ECM). Integrin-mediated adhesion and signaling play essential roles in neural development. In this study, we have used echistatin, an RGD-containing short monomeric disintegrin, to investigate the role of integrin-mediated adhesion and signaling during retinal development in Xenopus. Application of echistatin to Xenopus retinal-derived XR1 glial cells inhibited the three stages of integrin-mediated adhesion: cell attachment, cell spreading, and formation of focal adhesions and stress fibers. XR1 cell attachment and spreading increased tyrosine phosphorylation of paxillin, a focal adhesion associated protein, while echistatin significantly decreased phosphorylation levels of paxillin. Application of echistatin or beta(1) integrin function blocking antibody to the embryonic Xenopus retina disrupted retinal lamination and produced rosette structures with ectopic photoreceptors in the outer retina. These results indicate that integrin-mediated cell-ECM interactions play a critical role in cell adhesion, migration, and morphogenesis during vertebrate retinal development.

A Hidden Retinal Regenerative Capacity from the Chick Ciliary Margin is Reactivated In Vitro, that is Accompanied by Down-regulation of Butyrylcholinesterase

The chicken retina has a capacity to regenerate in vivo, which is restricted up to embryonic day 4 (E4). Here we test the proliferative patterns of dissociated chicken cells from the centre retina or the ciliary margin, including pigmented cells, after their transfer into rotation culture. For central cells in culture, the uptake of [3H]thymidine after a short initial rise decreases similarly to their in ovo counterparts. In contrast, marginal cells that have been shown to regenerate up to E9 into retinotypic stratospheroids re-enter a novel and long-lasting phase of in vitro cell division. We have shown previously that cell types of all nuclear layers are produced. Both observations taken together indicate a pronounced self-renewal of multipotent stem cells. Molecularly, the enzyme butyrylcholinesterase, which in other systems has been shown to mark transitory neuronal cells between proliferation and differentiation, is strongly expressed at the ciliary margin over most of the embryonic period. After these cells are transferred into rotation culture, butyrylcholinesterase is down-regulated. Concomitantly, the neuronal differentiation marker acetylcholinesterase increases. We conclude that the regenerative capacity of the chick retina is not lost at E4, but rather remains hidden in the chicken ciliary margin, since it can be reactivated in vitro at least up to E9. We suggest that butyrylcholinesterase may be linked to the regulation of stem cell activity.

Fucose in alpha(1-6)-linkage regulates proliferation and histogenesis in reaggregated retinal spheroids of the chick embryo

We have used the lectin from Aleuria aurantia (AAL) which is highly specific for alpha(1-6)-linked fucose, to examine its effect on chicken retinogenesis in a reaggregation culture system. When dispersed cells of the embryonic chick retina are reaggregated to form histotypic retinospheroids, AAL elicits strong inhibition of spheroid growth. The action of AAL is specific, since its effect is dose-dependent, saturable, and inhibited by an excess of fucose. Fucosidase treatment entirely abolishes reaggregation. In contrast, Anguilla anguilla agglutinin (AAA) binding to fucose in alpha(1-2)-linkage does not show any effects. Incubation with CAB4-a specific monoclonal antibody for fucose in alpha(1-6)-linkage-reduces spheroid size and shape. AAL does not much affect primary aggregation, but rather subsequent processes of cell proliferation and histogenesis. In particular, AAL inhibits uptake of bromo-desoxyuridine (BrdU), most efficiently so during days in vitro 2 (div2) and div3. As a consequence, the histological differentiation is entirely disturbed, as evidenced by vimentin immunostaining; particularly, rosettes are not forming and the radial glia scaffold is disorganized. We conclude that glycoproteins exhibiting fucose in alpha(1-6)-linkage may play major roles in early processes of retinal tissue formation.

Spatiotemporal expression of CD15 in the developing chick retina

The spatiotemporal distribution pattern of the carbohydrate epitope CD15 was examined in the developing chick retina. CD15 expression appeared for the first time at E13 in the INL and GCL. The developmental profile of the INL, from E13 to E16, showed increasing numbers of stratified amacrine cells, whereas diffuse amacrine subtypes appeared later, beginning at E15. Smaller populations of bipolar cells were seen at E17. Three types of CD15-positive ganglion cells could be differentiated by E15. A gradient in the appearance of identified immunoreactive amacrine cells extended from the dorsotemporal to the ventral and nasal retina. The adult-like pattern of CD15 expression did not become established until E19. Adult-like densities of immunoreactive cells were reached toward the end of the embryonic period between E18 in the dorsotemporal and ventral retina, and E19 in the dorsonasal retina. In the adult-like retina, labelled cells became particularly numerous at its greatest circumference, and were most densely packed in the dorsotemporal retinal quadrant. From E16 to P5, three membrane-bound, CD15-positive glycoproteins of 20, 32 and 34 kDa were identified by Western blots. The time course in the appearance of the membrane-associated CD15 recognition molecule on differentiating amacrine, bipolar and ganglion cells is correlated to the establishment of synaptic contacts.

Immunocytochemical analysis of a novel carbohydrate differentiation antigen (CDA-3C2) associated with olfactory and otic systems during embryogenesis in the rat

Carbohydrate differentiation antigens are known to display specific patterns of expression during mammalian development and are thought to participate in significant morphogenetic events. In the present study, two monoclonal antibodies that react with a novel carbohydrate differentiation antigen (CDA-3C2) were used to analyze, by light microscopy, the spatiotemporal distribution of this unique high molecular weight antigen during embryogenesis in the rat. Correlative analysis of the development of peripheral neural structures, in which CDA-3C2 was expressed, was carried out with an anti-neurofilament antibody. Enzymatic digestion, combined with Western blots, reveal that the CDA-3C2 epitope is a carbohydrate which is carried on a high molecular weight glycoprotein with a mass of greater than 1 million Daltons. Characteristic of carbohydrate antigens, immunoreactivity was found in several distinct cellular patterns: only along the apical border of cells, along lateral and basal membranes of cells, and extracellular-like staining in the mesenchyme. During neurulation, CDA-3C2 showed differential staining in the ectoderm, distinguishing lateral from neural regions. Following closure of the neural tube, there was a striking specificity of expression of CDA-3C2 in the periphery, found almost exclusively in olfactory and otic epithelial structures. While CDA-3C2 is found in placode-derived tissues that subserve sensory transduction, it appears to be primarily associated with the supportive cells (and their secretions) in both otic and olfactory regions and less so with the sensory cells. The data suggest that a unique carbohydrate antigen on a large macromolecule may play a role in neurulation and/or morphogenesis of the placode-derived otic and olfactory structures.

Peanut agglutinin binding glycoproteins in the chick retina: their presence in Müller glia cells

The histological and cellular distribution and some biochemical characteristics of components that bind peanut agglutinin (PNA), a lectin that recognizes preferentially terminal galactose-beta (1-3) N-acetyl galactosamine disaccharide residues of glycoconjugates, were studied in chick retinal tissue and in dissociated retinal cells after their differentiation in culture. In sections of retinal tissue from animals 7 days after hatching (Rp7), in addition to the inner and outer segments of the photoreceptor layer, the plexiform and optic fiber layers were stained with rhodamine-labeled PNA, indicating that, besides photoreceptor cells, other cellular types contribute to the PNA staining. We present evidence indicating that at least part of this staining is provided by Müller glia cells. In cultures of dissociated cells from retinas at embryonic day 7 (R7), photoreceptor-like cells and flat Müller glia-derived cells but not neurons were stained with rhodamine-labeled PNA. Furthermore, Müller glia cells isolated from Rp7 were also brightly stained with PNA. Western blot assays of extracts from R7 showed the presence of PNA binding glycoproteins of 31-33 kDa and a component that migrates at the dye front. In addition to the components detected in R7, extracts from R14 and Rp7 showed the presence of a major PNA binding glycoprotein of 175 kDa and a minor glycoprotein of 220 kDa. Extracts from the photoreceptor layer contain the 175 and 220 kDa glycoproteins, indicating their association with photoreceptor cells. The 31-33 kDa components were detected in extracts from the remnant inner retina, suggesting their association with the Müller glia cells. Supporting this view, these components and not those of 175 and 220 kDa were detected in cell cultures enriched in flat Müller glia-derived cells. Only the 31-33 kDa components and the component that migrates at the dye front were detected in extracts from cell cultures enriched in photoreceptor-like cells, suggesting the need of some environmental element for the expression of the 175 and 220 kDa components in the differentiated photoreceptor cells.

Spatial and Temporal Patterns of Neurogenesis in the Chick Retina

Chick embryo retinas were labelled in ovo by single injections of [3H]thymidine at selected times between days 2 and 12 of incubation. Embryos were later removed, at different stages of development, and the retinas processed for autoradiography of either serial sections or dissociated cell preparations. Analysis of unlabelled cells shows that neurogenesis starts, on day 2 of incubation, in a dorsotemporal area of the central retina, close to the posterior pole and to the optic nerve head. A gradient of neurogenesis spreads from this central area to the periphery, where neurogenesis ends, shortly after day 12, when the last few bipolar cells withdraw from the cell cycle. Additional dorsal-to-ventral and temporal-to-nasal gradients can be discerned in our autoradiographs. In all retinal sectors, ganglion cells start first to withdraw from the cell cycle, followed, with substantial overlapping, by amacrine, horizontal, photoreceptor plus Müller, and bipolar neuroblasts. Ganglion cells are also the first to reach the 50% level of unlabelled cells, followed this time by horizontal, photoreceptor, amacrine, Müller and bipolar cells. Finally, 100% levels of unlabelled cell populations are attained simultaneously by ganglion, horizontal and photoreceptor cells, followed by amacrine, then by Müller, and last by bipolar cells. Although all classes of neurons, in varying proportions, are being produced most of the time, our results also demonstrate that, in any given retinal area, the first cells leaving the cycle are determined to become ganglion cells, and the last ones bipolar cells, and not other types.

Müller glia endfeet, a basal lamina and the polarity of retinal layers form properly in vitro only in the presence of marginal pigmented epithelium

Dissociated embryonic chicken retinal cells regenerate in rotary culture into cellular spheres that consist of subareas expressing all three nuclear layers in an inside-out sequence (rosetted vitroretinae). However, when pigmented cells from the eye margin (peripheral retinal pigment epithelium) are added to the system, the sequence of layers is identical with that of an in-situ retina (laminar vitroretinae). In order to elucidate further the lamina-stabilizing effect exerted by the retinal pigment epithelium, we have compared both systems, laying particular emphasis on the ultrastructure of the basal lamina and of Müller glia processes. Ultrastructurally, in both systems, an outer limiting membrane, inner segments of photoreceptors and the segregation of cell bodies into three cell layers develop properly. Synapses are detectable in a premature state, although only in the inner plexiform layer of laminar vitroretinae. Although present in both systems, radial processes of juvenile Müller glia cells are properly fixed at their endfeet only in laminar vitroretinae, since a basal lamina is only expressed here. Large amounts of laminin are detected immunohistochemically within the retinal pigment epithelium and along a basal stalk that reaches inside the laminar vitroretinae. We conclude that the peripheral retinal pigment epithelium is essential for the expression of a basal lamina in vitro. Moreover, the basal lamina may be responsible both for stabilizing the correct polarity of retinal layers and for the final differentiation of the Müller cells.

The ontogeny of transferrin receptors in the embryonic chick retina: an immunohistochemical study

Transferrin receptor (TfR) immunoreactivity in the developing chick retina was examined. Immunoreactivity was detectable in the ganglion cells of embryonic day (E) 4 retina. At E9, diffuse TfR immunoreactivity appeared in the outer portion of the inner nuclear layer. Amacrine cells were the most intensely TfR-positive cells in the inner nuclear layer. At E11, the inner segment of photoreceptor cells showed moderate immunoreactivity. With the appearance of the outer segments, positive immunoreactivity was observed in these structures. TfR's developmental distribution in the retina may reflect the developmental and physiological role of transferrin.

cDNAs of cell adhesion molecules of different specificity induce changes in cell shape and border formation in cultured S180 cells

The liver cell adhesion molecule (L-CAM) and N-cadherin or adherens junction-specific CAM (A-CAM) are structurally related cell surface glycoproteins that mediate calcium-dependent adhesion in different tissues. We have isolated and characterized a full-length cDNA clone for chicken N-cadherin and used this clone to transfect S180 mouse sarcoma cells that do not normally express N-cadherin. The transfected cells (S180cadN cells) expressed N-cadherin on their surfaces and resembled S180 cells transfected with L-CAM (S180L cells) in that at confluence they formed an epithelioid sheet and displayed a large increase in the number of adherens and gap junctions. In addition, N-cadherin in S180cadN cells, like L-CAM in S180L cells, accumulated at cellular boundaries where it was colocalized with cortical actin. In S180L cells and S180cadN cells, L-CAM and N-cadherin were seen at sites of adherens junctions but were not restricted to these areas. Adhesion mediated by either CAM was inhibited by treatment with cytochalasin D that disrupted the actin network of the transfected cells. Despite their known structural similarities, there was no evidence of interaction between L-CAM and N-cadherin. Doubly transfected cells (S180L/cadN) also formed epithelioid sheets. In these cells, both N-cadherin and L-CAM colocalized at areas of cell contact and the presence of antibodies to both CAMs was required to disrupt the sheets of cells. Studies using divalent antibodies to localize each CAM at the cell surface or to perturb their distributions indicated that in the same cell there were no interactions between L-CAM and N-cadherin molecules. These data suggest that the Ca(++)-dependent CAMs are likely to play a critical role in the maintenance of epithelial structures and support a model for the segregation of CAM mediated binding. They also provide further support for the so-called precedence hypothesis that proposes that expression and homophilic binding of CAMs are necessary for formation of junctional structures in epithelia.

Regeneration of a chimeric retina from single cells in vitro: cell-lineage-dependent formation of radial cell columns by segregated chick and quail cells

We report here that similar to E6-chicken retinal cells, dissociated cells from 5.5-day-old (E5.5) quail retinae reaggregate in rotary culture, multiply about tenfold and reestablish histotypical areas. These cellular aggregates include all nuclear layers either with inversed or correct laminar polarity, depending on the local origin of the cells (called "rosetted" and "laminar" in-vitro-retinae (IVR), respectively; Layer and Willbold 1989). In combined cultures, chick and quail cells are evenly mixed only during the first two days of culture. Along with the assembly of single cells into rosettes and then into discrete laminae, sectors of chick and quail cells begin to segregate. They are delineated by borders running radially through all three nuclear layers. Thus, interspecies migration of cells at this advanced stage of differentiation is strongly inhibited. Concomitant with this segregation, coherent radial columns spanning all three layers but containing cells from either species only, can be traced histologically. We conclude that a weak segregation of chick and quail retinal cells takes place already at the single cell level, but that the permanent segregation of entire tissue parts must be due to clonal cellular proliferation within the IVR in conjunction with some developmental-structure mechanism retaining clonal progenies within a columnar order.

An autoradiographic analysis of neurogenesis in the chick retina in vitro and in vivo

Patterns of [3H]thymidine incorporation during neurogenesis of the embryonic chick retina have been compared in vitro and in ovo. Pieces of posterior, undifferentiated retinas were dissected from embryos on day 6 of incubation (E6) and cultured in the presence of [3H]thymidine. Label was added to the medium for 3 h on day 1, 2, 3 or 4 in culture. The retinas were fixed on the fifth day, embedded in epon, sectioned and processed for autoradiography. In parallel experiments, in ovo injections were made on embryonic day 6, 7, 8 or 9 (E6-E9). On E12 the embryos were fixed and a piece of the posterior retina from each eye was dissected and processed for autoradiography as above. Results show that the retinal explants develop well in culture and all of the layers of the neural retina differentiate. However, the cultured retinas are thinner than those grown in ovo. [3H]Thymidine labeling indicates that nearly all retinal neurons undergo their final mitotic divisions between E6 and E9. In addition the patterns of labeling in culture are similar to those in ovo. Most neurons, including the majority of cells in the ganglion cell layer and outer nuclear layer, are labeled on the first three days in culture and in E6-E7 embryos, while labeled cells are restricted to the inner nuclear layer in older specimens. Counts of labeled and unlabeled neurons in the ganglion cell layer suggest that the temporal pattern of neurogenesis in culture lags behind that in the embryo by about one day but that the spatial patterns of cell migration are the same.

Recurrent medulloepithelioma of the ciliary body. Immunohistochemical characteristics

A predominantly benign medulloepithelioma of the ciliary body was diagnosed in an 8-year-old girl and resected by iridocyclectomy. It recurred twice during 30 months. Highly malignant histopathologic features developed, and the eye finally perforated and had to be enucleated. No recurrence or metastases have subsequently developed. Histologically, the tumor was a nonteratoid medulloepithelioma consisting of elements resembling embryonic retina, nonpigmented ciliary epithelium, and neuroblasts, but had also areas of obvious glial and neuronal differentiation as judged by immunohistochemistry. The neuroepithelial tumor cells were positive for neuron-specific enolase, vimentin, and often for S-100 protein. The neuroblastic cells were generally positive for neuron-specific enolase and synaptophysin, but were intermixed with glia-like tumor cells positive for vimentin, glial fibrillary acidic protein, and S-100 protein. The results suggest that even a nonteratoid medulloepithelioma may be, unlike retinoblastoma, a truly multipotential tumor.

The pigmented epithelium sustains cell growth and tissue differentiation of chicken retinal explants in vitro

Embryonic retinae from 5-6-day-old chicks (E5-E6) were cut into stripes either in close contact with (RPE stripes) or in absence of the neighboring retinal pigmented epithelium (R stripes). The stripes were explanted and cultivated in vitro for up to 6 days, during which time they show the following differences in their characteristics of growth and differentiation. Compared with R stripes, RPE stripes morphologically showed a significant increase in size during the first 2 days in culture. Using E5 tissue, this is also demonstrated by a higher rate of cell proliferation (as measured by uptake of radioactive thymidine as well as by DNA contents). In contrast, R stripes after two days in culture show a much stronger neurite growth. After longer periods of culturing (5-6 days) we can show by cholinesterase histochemistry (AChE and BChE) and by PNA-lectin binding that the RPE stripes have started to form all major layers of the in vivo retina, whereas R stripes remain unstratified and start to degenerate earlier. We conclude that the pigment epithelium might exert a specific stimulus on growth and tissue differentiation of the neural retina not only during in vitro, but possibly also during in vivo development. The in vitro methods introduced here could become useful model systems to further investigate the significance of the RPE for developmental, regenerative and even adult processes of the neural retina. Their future applicability in ophthalmologic research is briefly discussed.

Independent spatial waves of biochemical differentiation along the surface of chicken brain as revealed by the sequential expression of acetylcholinesterase

AChE-positive cells suddenly amass in a superficial layer of the neuroepithelium; this layer finally covers, in a sheat-like manner, the entire surface of the embryonic chicken brain. This feature is functionally not understood; however, it appears shortly after the neurons become postmitotic, and the lateral extensions of this layer can easily be traced using histochemistry on serial brain sections. The layer can therefore be exploited to delineate spatially the waves of onset of biochemical tissue differentiation. We have studied whole brains between stages 11 and 30 and provide the first complete spatial schemes of brain differentiation based on computer-reconstructed, two- and three-dimensional maps. The brain does not differentiate in one smooth coherent wave, but instead five separate primary AChE-activation zones are detected: the first originating at stage 11 ("rhombencephalic wave"), the second at the same time ("midbrain wave"), the third at stage 15 ("tectal wave"). A fourth zone develops later, at stage 18, from the bottom part of the telencephalon to the top. Retinal development also starts at stage 18. In a given area, it appears that AChE-development shortly precedes that of the formation of major fiber tracts. AChE might therefore represent a prerequisite for fiber growth and pathfinding.

Spatiotemporal gradients of kainate-sensitivity in the developing chicken retina

We have studied the age-dependence of the effects of kainate (KA) on the chick retina as a prelude to the accompanying paper on the effects of target-removal on the isthmo-optic nucleus. KA was injected into the eyes of chick embryos and chicks at different ages, and the retinas were fixed a few hours or several days later. The former group of retinas was scanned for pyknotic cells. The earliest age at which KA caused pyknosis was embryonic day 10 (E10), when pyknotic cells appeared in a ventrotemporal patch in the amacrine sublayer near the fundus. Over the next two days the sensitive region expanded tangentially, reaching the periphery first temporally, then nasally. Only after E12 did the KA cause pyknotic cells to occur also in the bipolar sublayer, where the sensitivity spread in the same spatiotemporal sequence as the initial wave, but two days later. Cell loss was examined in embryos that survived a week or more after the KA injection. Substantial cell depletion was found in both the inner nuclear and ganglion cell layers, but only when the injection had been made after E12. With progressively later injections, the depleted zone expanded in the same spatiotemporal sequence as described above, until at E15 the injections caused depletion throughout the entire extent of the retina. The reasons for the lack of cell depletion after KA injections made before E12 are discussed. Cell counts in the ganglion cell layer and studies of anterograde transport of intravitreally injected peroxidase along the retinofugal fibers showed that about half the ganglion cells (including the displaced ganglion cells) pass through a period of vulnerability to the KA injections, to which they subsequently become sensitive.

Selective binding of soybean agglutinin to the olfactory system of Xenopus

The binding patterns of four different lectins conjugated to horseradish peroxidase were investigated in the nervous system of juvenile Xenopus borealis. Only the lectin soybean agglutinin revealed a very selective binding pattern, which was restricted to the olfactory system. The olfactory and vomeronasal epithelia, the olfactory and accessory olfactory nerves and the olfactory and accessory olfactory bulbs were all labelled. The ventral portions of the olfactory nerve and bulb were however more intensely labelled than their dorsal portions. The rest of the brain and spinal cord did not bind this lectin except for a small discrete set of unmyelinated axons travelling in the medial forebrain bundle. Ultrastructural investigations revealed that soybean agglutinin was confined to the cell surface of olfactory neurons. The selective binding of this lectin of olfactory neurons suggests that specific cell surface glycoconjugates binding soybean agglutinin may have either a functional or developmental role in the olfactory system of Xenopus.

Lucifer Yellow labeling of embryonic chick retinal amacrine cells in vitro

Lucifer Yellow (LY) selectively labels embryonic chick amacrine cells from days 11 until 14 in vivo. Its usefulness as an in vitro marker was investigated. In vivo labeling and subsequent culturing was not possible due to dye leakage. Neurons, however, could be labeled at various times in vitro. The number of neurons labeled with LY in vitro was consistent with the number of neurons expected to be labeled and increased when selected areas of the retina known to be rich in LY-labeled neurons were used in culturing. Neurons plated at times when labeling was not found in vivo (Embryonic day 8, E8) began to label only at times that were equivalent to times when labeling was found in vivo (E10-E11). This suggests that the selectivity of labeling is preserved in vitro and that LY can be used as an in vitro marker for retinal amacrine cells.

Unfocused laser illumination kills dye-targeted mouse neurons by selective photothermolysis

Selective photothermolysis (SP) is a novel technique by which brief, unfocused laser pulses are selectively absorbed by, and cause selective thermal damage to, endogenously pigmented structures. The present experiments demonstrate the feasibility of using an exogenous non-fluorescent chromophore (procion blue) to effect cellular damage by SP. Dorsal root ganglia neurons in vitro were selectively labeled with procion blue and subsequently damaged by unfocused laser illumination. Progressive cellular damage was assessed by propidium iodide (PI), a fluorescent dye that leaks through damaged membranes and binds to nucleic acids. Graded scores of intracellular PI fluorescence demonstrated a highly significant difference in amount of damage between groups of experimental and control cells. Selective photothermolysis is discussed as an experimental tool for neurobiologists in particular and for general use within the biomedical field.

The formation of the axonal pattern in the embryonic avian retina

Both the polarity of the axonal growth and the formation of the optic fiber pattern early in retinal morphogenesis were studied in silver stained whole mounts of embryonic chick, quail, and pigeon retinae. The surface area of the retina and of the optic fiber layer increases in size exponentially, the optic fiber layer expanding faster than the retina. The optic fiber layer covers the retinal surface at E5 in quail and at E6 in chick and pigeon. In all species studied, the retinal fiber layer does not expand homogeneously with the optic nerve head as the center. Instead, the retinal fiber layer enlarges with polarities in the dorsal to ventral and nasal to temporal direction. The very first axon bearing ganglion cells appear at stage 16 in the dorsal and central portion of the retina and grow ventrally to merge at the optic disk. From stage 23 on, the optic fiber layer expands faster in the temporal than in the nasal side. Measurements on the initial polarization of young axonal processes show that the axonal growth is directed toward the optic fissure and the optic nerve head. This growth polarization is found at the onset of growth cone formation and in axons far from the nearest ganglion cells or ganglion cell axons. Therefore axon-axon interaction cannot be involved in the initial axon orientation early in retinal morphogenesis.

Reaggregation of embryonic chick retina cells: pigment epithelial cells induce a high order of stratification

We report here that, in comparison to aggregates from retinal cells alone, addition of pigmented epithelial cells to retinal cells in rotary culture results in a pronounced increase of spatial order. A particularly high level of organization is found in about 15-20% of the aggregates. In these 'retinoids' the main layers characteristic of developing in vivo retinae can be distinguished in correct sequential arrangement on the basis of morphological criteria and by using acetylcholinesterase histochemistry [5, 6, 15], peanut agglutinin-lectin binding [11] and Lucifer Yellow staining [7-9].

Spatio-temporal patterns of differentiation of whole heads of the embryonic chick as revealed by binding of a FITC-coupled peanut-agglutinin (FITC-PNA)

The spatio-temporal expression of specific binding sites for FITC-labeled peanut agglutinin (Arachis hypogaea) in frozen sections of whole embryonic heads of the chick between embryonic day 2 (E2) and embryonic day 8 (E8) is described. PNA-binding sites are present already at E2 on the external limiting membrane and the ventricular boundary of the neural wall. With progressing differentiation fluorescent bands are formed from the outside of the neural wall radiating inside, forming second layers inside the CNS at later stages. The visual system (retina and tectum) shows remarkably little PNA-binding activity until about E7/8, a time when binding sites in the other brain areas are already most abundant. In the telencephalon a fuzzy distribution of fluorescence is found. A possible significance of this finding for fiber guidance from the retina to the tectum is briefly discussed. Local high activities can be observed in different parts of the brain. Intense bands of PNA-fluorescence on parts of the epidermis, along the eye cups, around the fore- and hindbrain and in the medial part of the mesenchyme delineate early biochemical compartments foreshadowing the succeeding ossification.

Self-renewal of stem cells and differentiation of nerve cells in the developing chick retina

Data on proliferation and self-renewal of stem cells in the developing chick retina were obtained on the basis of measurements of cells labeled by [3H]thymidine pulses in conjunction with the rate of increase in total cell number. Duration of S-phase was found to be about 4 h between stages 4 and 9 days. Self-renewal drops below the critical value of 50% (implying a transition from increase to depletion of absolute number of stem cells in the tissue) around day 7.6. The spatial order of cell proliferation was studied by measurements taken on subregions of retinas at various stages of development. Proliferating cells forming the ventricular layer increase in all regions of the retina up to day 7, though the proportion of proliferating cells is lowest in the center. From day 5 on it is higher in the nasal as compared to the temporal part of the tissue. After day 7 self-renewal of stem cells drops below 50%, stem cells become depleted and withdraw gradually from mitosis. The process is initiated in the center slightly temporal to the dorsal end of the optic fissure and then spreads rapidly towards the periphery, reaching the temporal margin first. The findings imply that while cells at the periphery are younger on the average, those cells which have become postmitotic at an early stage are not confined to a small central core of the fully developed retina, because the tissue continues to grow and produce postmitotic cells in all regions of the retina up to day 7.

Comparative localization of acetylcholinesterase and pseudocholinesterase during morphogenesis of the chicken brain

The histochemical localization of specific acetylcholinesterase (AcChoEase) and nonspecific cholinesterase (BtChoEase) is described during the early morphogenesis of the whole chicken head with main emphasis on the visual system. It is found that: (i) Expression of AcChoEase is an early differentiation event in the entire brain. Its pattern of first appearance on the external part of the neuroepithelium correlates with the general spatio-temporal pattern of differentiation. AcChoEase thus represents an early differentiation marker. (ii) The late pattern of AcChoEase (at E18), reflecting at least partially the distribution of synaptic AcChoEase shows no direct correlation to the distributions found at early stages when synapses are not yet formed. This argues for a nonsynaptic function of the early appearing AcChoEase. (iii) BtChoEase in early nervous tissue is diffusely localized on the ventricular side of the neural tube. At later stages it becomes concentrated on the ependymal layer as well as along fibers reaching from this inner layer outwards. Minor activities appear in specific external layers of tectum and retina. (iv) During the course of differentiation the enzymes express pronounced graded distributions within the areas where they are detectable. (v) Mesenchymal and epidermal BtChoEase is abundant in the entire head. Prominent amounts of activity are expressed on the rostral epidermis, along the eye cup next to the sclera, and on the rostro-dorsal surrounding of the optic nerves. The results are discussed in the light of possible morphogenetic functions of these enzymes.